Mishpocheh
by Luckie D
Summary: The sequel to "On to the Olde Town", Maria Frank and John Munch are now residing in New York city. Work is never far behind when they're attempting to raise a family, especially when it follows them home. John continues to adjust to being a father to a son he never knew and begins to understand the life he wanted all along. *Does not follow my usual SVU timeline*
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer - Maria Frank, Scott Munch, Iva Munch, Alex and Ace are my own creations. John Munch belongs to Law and Order: SVU.  
Author's note - this is the sequel to On To The Olde Town (based in 2002) and is based a year and a half later.  
**

December 10, 2004

Seven year old Scott sprinted down the hallway from his room to another room, softly knocking before opening the door and leaping happily onto the bed. "Get up!" He patted the two lumps under the covers with his hands and laughed with a foot lifted and gently kicked him off the bed. "Dad!"

John raised his head and stared down at the boy before raising the comforter over his head. "It's Sunday, sport. Bugger off."

"But... it's almost noon," he happily stated, standing back up and moving back onto the bed, avoiding a gruff sounded grunt of the black dog laying between the two bodies.

"You're a pain, don't you know that?" Maria asked, the lump that was hers moving closer to the other one. "It's a weekend. Go watch cartoons or something."

The boy frowned for a moment. "There's never any good cartoons on when it's Sunday." He placed his hands on his hips and watched two heads gradually pop up from under the covers. "You guys suck."

Not able to take his seriously with his forced expression of anger, both Maria and John started to laugh. "Oh, please. Don't do that, buddy." Maria sat up, holding the comforter over her bare chest. "We're just picking on you," she explained, turning her head towards John, who flopped back down and pulled the covers back over. "We'll be up soon, all right?"

Scott happily sprinted off and closed the door behind him, leaving them in silence. "Last night was amazing, Mar," John blurted out. "Wanna go see if we're lucky this time?"

"I've told you, I have to wait a week or two until I can positively be sure I'm expecting." She reminded him, almost rolling her eyes from the number of times she's had to tell him.

He sighed and poked a finger at her stomach. "Well, you can still check since we did have sex a week or two ago."

"Yes, but still John - "

"Please?"

"Yes, in a few minutes before I get into the shower." She closed her eyes for a moment and felt his fingers gently tracing along her back. "What if it's negative again?"

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart. We both know it's not us; it could be just our timing." Munch sat back up and reached out to pet Ace, the now retired police rottweiler dog. Shortly after John left seeing her and Scott a year and a half ago, Ace and Maria were caught up in a hostage situation that resulted in Ace being badly injured. In the end, he lost his left eye and was headed up being heavily gun shy at the sound. "Besides, we both had appointments last month and we're both healthy."

Since being hitched six months ago, John and Maria had been trying to conceive to no avail. Any free moment they had from work - John working at SVU with Maria working as the police shooting range instructor - they tried. The month before, they sought out help from a doctor and everything checked out well. "I guess it's just our timing." Maria sighed as she stood up, reaching for her robe. "I'm going to take a test and then a shower. Want to join when I'm done testing?"

"I'll be right on in," he reassured, noticing the look in her eyes. The more negative tests she received, the more deterred she was becoming. "Think positive!" He yelled in the direction she went, receiving a yell back. Pulling his robe on, John walked out into the living room where Scott sat, sitting on the floor and stacking his blocks. "Mind if I help?"

"Sure," Scott replied, holding out a blue block for him to take.

"Are we doing anything creative here?"

Scott pointed to one stack behind him. "That's my main tower and this one is a house." He pointed to the blue block in John's hand. "That one can go over there where my other buildings are going to be."

Munch reached over and placed the block next to a yellow one, observing what creation Scott was up to. "Looks like a town you're building."

"It's New York city, silly." The boy sat up on his knees and pointed to another stack. "That's the police station where you work and that one over there," he pointed at the stack next to it, "is where mom works."

Since they had moved into John's apartment, he had to do some renovating with his belongings for them to scoot in, but it was working out well. The main bedroom was big enough for their master bed and a crib whenever Maria was going to be expecting their second and the spare was Scott's room. Once his younger sibling was old enough to sleep through the night, he was going to share the room.

"Very cool, buddy. Very cool." He smiled at the boy and admired the well thought out planning he had done. "Just be sure there are no blocks in mom's walk way, 'kay?" With a quick wink, Munch stood up and ruffled Scott's hair before moving down the hall to the bathroom.

M*M*M*M*M*M*M*M*M*M

Maria stood there in the bathroom and frowned at the test. It was another negative. "Fuck," she muttered, tossing it into the trash right before she heard a knock at the door. "It's okay. You can come in."

"Well," John asked as he entered and closed the door behind him.

Shrugging her shoulders and giving him a small smile, Frank shook her head. "Not this time."

Sadly smiling and sighing, Munch reached around her and turned on the water to warm it up. "We always have next time."

"Well, true." She smiled at him and almost leaned into his hand when he reached up to tuck a dark strand behind her ear. "Not like I'm enjoying our fun times almost every single night, though."

Laughing and undoing her robe to hang it behind the bathroom door, Munch did the same with his and made sure the water was the perfect temperature before stepping in. "Well, I'd hope you're enjoying it as much as I am. Otherwise, I may as well be doing it for my own enjoyment."

"Oh, nice. I'm a real version of a blow up doll," Maria remarked as she stepped in, giggling when he lightly slapped her backside. Pressing up against the far wall of the shower, she gave him a sly smile and raised her arms up. "Take me, I'm yours!"

"Do not tempt me like that, you minx." He stood over her with an evil grin and traced his fingers along her chest, admiring a very faint bite mark on the side of her left breast. "Hm, it's finally starting to fade." He leaned forward a little and traced his tongue lightly along it, sending shivers down Maria's spine.

Her fingers wove through his hair and gasped when he tenderly kissed the fading bruise and lifted her leg to wrapped it around his waist. Maria knew where he was going with this and didn't want it to end. "John...," she whispered hotly as he trailed his kisses up her neck before deeply kissing her. One thing was for sure - they couldn't get enough of each other. They were both an addictive drug for the other.

As the steam began to fully surround them, John eased himself in without breaking the kiss and grasped at the leg around his waist. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Maria broke the kiss for a moment to trail licks and nips along his jaw and down his neck, stopping just below his Adam's apple.

As he began to slowly pick up speed with his thrusts, he hummed in his throat when she nipped him roughly at the base of his throat. "How would you like this?" He asked softly.

Pondering it for a minute, Maria raised her head and stared into his dark eyes. They never broke their eye contact as he continued at a slow pace, his hands moving up to brace against the wall to keep his balance. "I don't want to rush this."

"Okay," he smiled down at her and lowered his head, gently claiming her mouth passionately.

M*M*M*M*M*M*M*M*M*M

Scott knew to not both his parents when they were alone, knowing they liked being together. Hearing giggling finally coming from the bathroom, he raised his head for a moment before going back to stacking his blocks. The youngster hadn't heard his mother laugh or even giggle as much as she has been before John came back into their lives, taking him under his arm and making her smile more.

Hearing the phone ringing on the wall, Scott stood up and sprinted over to answer it. "Scott here."

_"Hey, Scott. It's Don Cragen. Is your dad there?"_

"Hold on one second." He ran to the bathroom with the phone in hand and knocked on the door. "Dad! Phone for you!"

John grumbled and rested his head against the wall. Thankfully, they had finished their love making a few moments before but he still didn't want to deal with a phone call. "Do I have to?" He asked quietly, hoping Maria was going to tell him he didn't.

"I think you do," she honestly replied, shifting her position so he was able to extract with ease. "Besides, I need to really get clean now."

Continuing to mutter to himself, he stuck his head out and called for Scott to enter with the phone. He dried his hand and took the outreached phone. "Hello?"

_"It's me. We have an emergency."_

"I'll be there in twenty." He hit end button and handed it back to the seven year old. "Can you turn on the coffee machine and get my traveling mug ready, pal?"

He nodded and ran out to the kitchen, switching the coffee machine on and standing on a step stool to grab a traveling mug from the cupboard.

"Okay, now I need to clean up, too. Don says it's an emergency." He lathered up his hair as Maria started scrubbing his back. "Thought for sure we would have a day off."

Frank shook her head and lathered up the washcloth to wash his lower region carefully. "Don't worry about it. Dinner will be ready when you get home."

He winced slightly as she cleaned him and rinsed his head thoroughly. "Thanks. You don't need to stay up if I'm not home before eleven."

"All right." She finished and rinsed the cloth before handing to him to scrub everything else, reaching for the shampoo. They were both out of the shower within five minutes and John padded off with his towel to get dressed. Maria rushed out of the bathroom in her robe and got his coffee ready with some toast to gulp down while on the road. "Scott, grab his coat and work shoes, please?"

Scott sprinted to the door and pulled his coat down with his shoes in his hands. "Is everything okay?"

"Dad has an emergency at work and needs to leave as soon as possible." Once she was certain everything was set for him to just grab and go, Maria sat down at the table and blew out a breath. "What would you like for lunch, Scott?"

He wasn't sure what to decide for lunch as John came rushing out. "I'm sorry I have to leave. Hopefully there's a break in the case I've been working on for three months-"

Maria stood and straightened the collar of his suit jacket, silencing his excuses. "Shush. Just finish getting ready, dinner will be ready when you get home and just be safe."

Giving her a quick kiss, Munch got his shoes on, slipped on his coat and grabbed his mug with the toast hanging from his mouth. "Love you," he mumbled and he was swiftly out the door.

Sitting back down at the table, Maria crossed her right leg over her left and turned toward Scott. "So... wanna go to the park?"

* * *

John just about sprinted into the squad room as his boss, Don Cragen, was settling down with a meeting with the team. "I'm here. I'm here."

"Finally. Sorry to call you in on your day off, but something came up," Don explained, motioning to an empty chair. "What we have is your rape victim has recanted."

John's brows furrowed and his air caught in his throat. "She what? Why?"

"Because she lied about being raped by the taxi driver," Fin explained, handing Munch the report that was filed. "Nelly has stated she was really sorry about accusing the wrong man and has said that it was really her boss at the movie theater."

"And we're to believe her because...?" John asked, eying everyone around him. "What makes you think I want to believe what this woman says? We've been dragging this case along for the past three months - trying to convict the wrong man, mind you - and we're just suppose to believe what she says?"

Cragen held up a hand, hoping John would take the hint to calm down. "I know you're frustrated, John. We all are about this situation. Since the wrong man's been held in Rikers for the past two months, I'm going to see what our options are."

Munch shook his head and tried his best to contain his anger. "I can't fucking believe this. I held this woman's hand while she went ahead and picked the wrong guy from the line-up. She looked me straight into my eyes and told me it was him." He stood and paced around for a moment. "Where is she now?"

"Her lawyer's talking to her," Benson answered quickly, hoping he would calm a little. "She called him once we told her how serious this is."

"She doesn't fucking deserve a lawyer from the way she dragged us through the mud," he muttered, placing his hands on his hips. "When can I talk to her?"

Don lifted the window shade in his office, revealing the rape victim and her lawyer. "I'm giving them a few more minutes before letting you in. Just try to contain how pissed you are for a few minutes while you're in there. She's already a miserable mess."

"Serves her right." John walked out of the office and slumped down in his desk chair. "She deserves every little emotional pain she gets."

"Guess you were disturbed while being with the missus?" Fin asked, having followed his partner out.

John raised his eyes to his dark skinned partner for a moment. "Damn straight." He leaned back in his chair and placed his feet on his desk. "We're trying to conceive with every free moment we get. It's hard trying to when I'm being called in because my case is going to the shits."

Fin slowly sat at his desk, wondering what he could say to distract John from their dilemma. "You been to the doctor?"

"We both went in and we're both healthy. My sailors are in perfect condition and her eggs are as healthy as they can be."

"Maybe stress is causing it." He sighed as he leaned back as well, twirling a pen through his fingers. "Stress has a funny way of doing that to people. How has her work been going?"

Munch shrugged, picking at a hangnail. "New students coming in every day, it's amazing she still has her fingers. There's a test day coming up on Friday and she's hoping all of them will pass or she's going to become great friends with Jack Daniels."

Blowing out a whistle, Tutuola stared at his pen for a second, thinking. "Sounds like you two need some time off to just chill, man. Hard to get knocked up while under stress."

"Yeah, I guess. This circus of a case is just going to add more sand to our suck-ass fire." John blew out a breath and stared at a framed photo of Maria on his desk. "We'll figure it out. Mar won't get time off until February, so chances of getting some free time without stress isn't going to happen until then."

"Munch!" Don called John and motioned him toward the interrogation room. "They're ready to talk."

He stood up, muttering, "This is going to be fun."

M*M*M*M*M*M*M*M*M

Laying in bed that night, Maria stared at the ceiling and wondered when John was going to get home. After a day at the park and taking Ace and old man Alex for a walk, and helping Scott with his homework, there was nothing else to keep herself distracted. Her hand laid flat against her stomach and she wondered why is was being so hard.

With an annoyed sigh, she rolled over and hugged John's pillow close to her. As she inhaled in familiar smell, Frank began to long for him being right there beside her. "Where are you, hun?"

As if something heard her question, she heard the sound of his keys in the door lock. Without pausing, John continued to walk toward the bedroom as he stripped off his coat, shoes, work jacket and opened the door. No words spoken, he closed the door and slipped on top of the covers and held her close. "Sorry I'm home so late."

"Just so long as you're home, it's all right." She shifted the comforter around her and wrapped a free arm around him. "What happened?"

He sighed heavily and reached up to remove his glasses for the night. "My case is going to hell. The wrong man is in jail because she didn't want to seem like a racist about who raped her."

"What?" She sat up with a perplexed look on her face. Munch rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. "She didn't want to look like a racist, so she allowed the wrong man to be put away?"

"Yeah, I know and the ADA is pissed beyond anything." He turned his head to see her looking down at him, a worried look on her face. "It may not look like it now, but we'll get it straightened out."

She placed her hand on his light grey work shirt and forced a smile. "I hope so."

He placed a hand over hers and noticed where his pillow was. "Did you miss me?"

Laughing, Maria placed the pillow back where it belonged. "I know it's sounds ridiculous since you were only gone since noon, but I missed you and kept wondering when you were coming home."

"Well, I missed you, too." Munch slowly moved his fingers along hers and his smile grew. "It gets tough knowing you're home while I'm at work."

"Yes, it does." She admitted softly, shivering when his hand slowly ran up from her hand to her shoulder. "I have to get up early tomorrow morning, John."

"So do I," John whispered as he sat up, softly pressing his lips to her neck. Smiling to herself, there was no way to reason with him about being up early. Maria gave in when he removed her night shirt, also knowing he needed it.

**To be continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer - Maria Frank, Scott Munch and Iva Munch, Alex and Ace are my own creations. John Munch belongs to Law and Order: SVU.**

February 10, 2005

John frowned slightly as he waited for Maria to step out from the bathroom with the latest test result. It was rather quiet in there and he felt his heart pounding quickly in his chest. Taking his partner's advice about stress being the possibly culprit, he and Maria had tried just about everything to release their stress. **  
**

The sound of heavy sighing from the bathroom reached his ears and he raised his head. "Mar?" He knocked his knuckles onto the door a few times and opened it slowly. "Anything?"

"Not this time," she replied, walking out of the bathroom as she finished straightening her clothes. "What are we missing?"

He shook his head, not quite sure was they were missing. "I don't know. Hey, Valentine's day is coming up, right?"

"Yes," she answered.

"I was thinking about us taking that chance to send Scott off to a friend's house for the night and you and I go out on a date, have some nice food, good wine, and see if that will settle the mood just right." He suggested, hoping she was going to agree. Valentine's day was falling on a Saturday this year and he had already taken the day off, even if she didn't want to. He couldn't image her saying no to this chance for the afternoon and evening being just the two of them. "What do you think?"

Tempted by the idea of having a night to themselves - and the wine was tempting enough - Maria cocked a brow and and slipped her arms around his neck. "You had me at the wine."

"Good. Very good. Because I already called up Walter's parents and they'll be waiting for us to drop off Scott before going to dinner." He wrapped his arms around her waist and laughed at her expression. "What?"

"You've planned this all out already, haven't you?" She leaned back in his arms and narrowed her eyes. "Everything?"

John nodded his head slowly. "Everything's been planned out since yesterday."

"Good grief." She closed her eyes for a moment and chuckled. "What if I said 'no'?"

"Oh, please! I would have seduced you into saying 'yes' and you know it," He mimicked her expression and earned a small slap to his shoulder. "Hey! Starting the seducing already with some foreplay?"

"You're unbelievable." Maria released her hold around his neck, but he didn't release his from her waist. "Do you mind? I need to get dinner done before it boils over and I have two hungry boys on my hands."

"That depends," he started, holding her waist firmly up against his. "What's for dinner?"

She placed her hands on his arms and firmly pressed down to signal him to let go. "You shall see."

He released his hold and sighed. "Fine. Okay. I'll be in the dining room with Scott and his homework." He turned and took a few steps before stopping. "Hey, where are the cookies?"

"You're not going to starve to death within an hour," she turned the corner to the kitchen and called over her shoulder, "And don't send Scott in to get the cookies for you, either."

_Damn,_ John thought. He shoved his hands in his pockets and twirled a few coins through his fingers, wondering if he could bribe Scott into sneaking into the kitchen to grab for the bag of cookies. "Hey, Scott. I'll give you a quarter if you can go into the kitchen and snag that bag of cookies for us?"

Scott raised his head from his history book for a moment before looking back down. "She busted you again, didn't she, dad?"

"Hmph," was all John muttered as he crossed his arms. "You and I both know we'll be hungry long before dinner's done and we'll need to eat something before dinner."

Cocking a brow, the seven year old boy hardly believed his father. "Bull cookies, dad. Give me a twenty dollar bill and we've got a deal."

"Fifteen bucks."

"Eighteen."

"Sixteen." John glanced at his son over his glasses with a smirk.

"Seventeen and that's it." Scott lowered his pencil and folded his hands, smile on his thin lips.

Munch sighed and held out his hand to shake. "Fine. Seventeen it is." He gripped his son's hand in his and pulled him forward to whisper, "Don't get caught."

Scott brushed away his warning, knowing what to do. "Please. I've been sneaking cookies from the kitchen from the moment I could walk." He calmly walked into the kitchen and reached for a glass in the cupboard, listening intently for any sound Maria made at the stove.

"What are you doing?" She asked softly, stirring the potatoes slowly in the pot.

"Just reaching for a glass for water," he explained calmly, watching her pull out a strainer and plugging in the mixer. "Is that a crime?"

Frank smirked and muttered, "Smart ass," as she drained the potatoes and prepared to mash them.

Once the mixer was turned on, Scott reached into the cupboard and scooped four cookies out, stuffing them into his pocket. Thinking he was safe, he started padding off to the dining room right when Maria busted him by grabbing the back of his shirt. "Hey- oh," He glanced up at his mother and gave a small wave. "Hi."

"Hi to you, too." She placed one hand on her hip and gave him a smile. "How many cookies are in your pocket, buddy?"

"Four," he muttered, the feel of seventeen dollars flying away from his grasp. "Dad started it."

She released her hold and sighed. "I know he did. Two for you and two for him?"

"Yes."

_Better than a whole bag this time,_ she thought. "Fine. Go ahead."

Scott grinned and sprinted back into the dining room, pulling the cookies out. "She busted us, but let us keep the four I got."

John sighed and picked up one, looking it over. "I'm never going to hear the end of this tonight."

* * *

"You know, you keep this up with sending him off to do your dirty work and the boy's going to have more money than we have," Maria started one evening, causing John to pause in his meal. It was Valentine's day and they were enjoying a rather expensive dinner at a nice restaurant while Scott was at a friend's house for the night.

"Huh?" Munch cocked a brow and placed his fork down, looking across the table where Maria sat with her hand on her hand and a leg draped over her left. "Remind me where you're going?"

"I'm talking about the other day when Scott took the cookies from the cupboard and I had said 'no' when you asked moments before?" Her expression was flat, but her tone was full of slight annoyance.

John placed his fork down and sighed. "I'm not getting sex tonight."

"No, you are," she assured, raising her head and reaching for her glass of wine. "Just quit using Scott as a way to get treats, okay? I had dinner done within two minutes after he took the cookies, so you were not going to starve to death before it was done."

John 'pfft' with a smile and forked at his dinner. "I know I wasn't going to starve-"

"Oh, poppycock. I know you, dear." Frank grinned and uncrossed her leg to tap his leg under the table. "And the sweets you'll be getting tonight are going to be worth it, too."

Munch just about dropped his fork again when Maria's sandal-clad foot slide up farther than it would when they were in public. He cleared his throat softly and reached for his napkin, wiping his bottom lip. "Let's not get things too hot and heavy right here, babe."

"That's too hard for me to comply with," she muttered slyly, raising her hand to get a server's attention. "Can I have a box for this, please?" The server nodded kindly and left to grab two for each of them. They sat in silence for a moment - staring at each other - until Maria spoke up softly. "Excited for tonight?"

John leaned forward and smiled sheepishly. "Aren't I always?"

"Yes, but...I just have a good feeling we can do it." She happily patted the table cloth-covered table, almost looking jittery in her blue dress. "I just have a really, really good feeling for this evening."

Unable to stop himself from grinning, John leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Let's go home and see for sure."

**To be continued...**

**Yeah, it's short, but I've been wanting to get this fic done so I can get onto the next one. Work's been keeping my busy, the weather's been rather unkind with this drought and I've just been crashing for some rest any chance I get.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer - Maria Frank, Scott Munch, Iva Munch, Ace and Alex are my own creations. John Munch belongs to Law and Order: SVU. Warnings for adult content.**

Maria watched John carefully as he unlocked the door to the their apartment and held her hand to lead her in. Her nerves were shuddering with anticipation and nervousness at the hopes everything was going to work out. They had both tried far too many times and she wasn't sure how much longer she was willing to keep up with it all.

She watched with a pounding heart as John turned to face her, loosening his tie. "You okay?" He asked, noticing Frank seemed off in her own world.

"No, I'm okay. I think it's just nerves really." She kicked off her sandals and glanced at a spot on the floor.

Munch closed the distance between them and tilted her face up with a finger. "It's not like we haven't done this before, Mar," he pointed out in a low whisper. "C'mon." He nodded towards the couch and took a hold of her hand softly. He sat down carefully with his hands on her hips, watching her carefully. "Talk to me."

Running her hands slowly up and down his arms, Maria bit down on her bottom lip and thought hard for a moment. "I'm just nervous right now. I excited more than anything, but I'm nervous at the same time and I don't know why."

Massaging her hips under his hands, John leaned back on the couch and gazed into her eyes deeply. "Come here."

Hiking up her dress a little and straddling his legs, Frank shyly smiled as he leaned forward and kissed her collarbone. "I think it's the wine and your nerves talking at the same time." He spoke softly, tucking a dark strand of hair behind her ear as her arms snaked around his neck. "Let the wine take over, hun. Follow what we've always done."

Smiling sheepishly, Maria leaned in and kissed him passionately, her fingers tangling into his hair. He allowed her to take the lead for a moment, feeling her starting to relax under his hands. Taking the next step, John lowered his hands to where her dress pooled and raised it to run his hands along her lower back and slip his fingers casually under panties.

Giggling as she broke the kiss, Frank playfully tapped his nose with her index finger and whispered, "Skipping foreplay, are we?"

"Maybe," he answered with a devilish smile, lifting her up and laying her down on the couch, laughing as she laughed loudly. "You're amazing. You know that?"

She gave him the gentlest smile and began to slowly undo his tie. "You constantly remind me I am, John." He rolled his eyes with a sigh and received a shock when she grabbed a hold of his waist and pressed it against hers. "Now don't go rolling those eyes of yours."

He closed his eyes to regain his composure and was quickly losing the battle. "How about less talking and more playing, 'kay?" When Maria strongly agreed, he lowered his head and playfully bit the exposed flesh between her breasts.

Maria arched her back against his nipping and turned her head to the side to allow him access to loosen her dress for an easy slip off. Taking a moment to gently kiss, nip and lick her exposed throat, Munch loosened the latch of her dress and pulled the zipper down with ease. "Sit up a little." He asked softly, easing the thin straps off her shoulders.

Bracing herself up a little on her elbows, she locked eyes with him as she began to feel the cool air hitting her slowly exposed skin, feeling her nerves coming to life from the lightest touches. Once the dress had been lowered to her waist, John leaned forward and latched onto a breast, causing Maria to gasp sharply and bury her hands into his hair, laying back against the couch once more.

Every inch of her body burned to feel him against her and Maria began to remove what she could reach of his clothes. Shrugging off his suit jacket, John released her breast and turned his attention to her stomach, causing her to pause and grasp his shoulders. "Oh, shit," she panted.

Raising her hips just an inch, Munch pulled the rest of her dress down her legs and tossed it to the floor, joining his suit jacket. Grinning at the sight of Frank loosing her mental control from just him touching her, John slipped his fingers under her panties eased them off.

"I'd like to point something out first," she started, trying to keep self control now that she was fully undressed for him to admire.

"What?" John asked, laying down on top of her to nip sharply at her neck, his fingers gently caressing her hips and back of her thighs.

Resisted the urge to wrap her legs around his waist and plead for him to take her, Maria whispered, "I'm not sure I like the idea of our next child being conceived on the couch. Poor thing wouldn't be able to look at the couch the same way again."

John sat up and gave her a quizzical look. "Really? I'm getting all hot and bothered here and that comes to mind?"

"I'm all ready for action here too, but maybe if we put a sheet down?" She gave half a shrug and a small smile, trying to seem innocent.

He blew out a breath and looked around. He was getting rather uncomfortable in his boxer briefs and didn't want to loose it. "Okay. Stay here and I'll get it."

She watched him pad off to the closet and pull out two sheets, both very soft and comfortable to the touch. Maria only stood for a second for him to cover the couch before she was pulled back down and beneath him once more.

"Better?"

"Much, thank you." Her fingers slid down his stomach to the hem of his boxer briefs, keeping her eyes on his face. Munch was watching her carefully and his breathing hitched when she finally freed him. "Better for you?"

He smirked and his eyes went dark with arousal. "Much, thanks." He grasped her ankles and pulled her closer, towering over her dangerously. There was no sign of fear in her eyes when she reached down and lightly pulled on him, causing him to growl from the sensation. Taking her grasping hand and placing it by her head, John deeply and passionately kissed her as he plunged in.

Maria gasped in his mouth and arched her back, pressing her bare chest against his. There was no pause in his movements and she craved every little bit of it. Her legs wrapped tightly around his waist and met his thrusts, pulling her hands free from his grasps and wrapped them around his shoulders.

Looping his arms under her shoulders, he grasped them and pressed his face against her neck, her gasps and moans echoing in his ears. Neither one was going to last long at this rate and John pressed himself even closer to her, craving to be even deeper into her depths. Maria sharply gasped when she felt her body reaching it's peak and dug her nails into his back, sending John over the edge.

He buried his face into her neck and released a growl-like groan. Minutes passed before they released their hold on each other, shivering as a chill started to settle over them. John was the first to move and carefully extracted himself as to not cause Maria any discomfort. He grinned softly as he brushed a sweaty strand of hair from her face.

"Still with me?" He asked softly, not wanting to startle her while she settled from her high.

Frank smiled and slide her hands from his back to his elbows, deeply inhaling a long breath and lifted her head. She gently kissed him and he welcomed it happily in return by leaning into it.

"I guess that's a 'yes'?" He asked with a grin when they broke the kiss moments later.

"I would classify it as that, yes." Maria answered. "My leg's getting a cramp, though." She sat up a little and tried shifted her right leg, which was trapped between John's waist and the couch.

John shifted and she stretched it out, hoping the cramp would pass soon. "I love you, Mar."

She pulled him down for a hug and whispered, "Love you, too", as he settled down on top of her, his exhaustion taking over. "I'm keeping my fingers crossed this time, John. I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this."

"Just stay positive," he muttered tiredly, resting his head on her shoulder. "That's all I've got."

* * *

Two weeks later. Late Sunday afternoon -

Maria squeezed her eyes shut and muttered, "Please, please, please," as she held the test. "Please, let this be it." Slowly opening her eyes and waiting until the blur disappeared in front of her eyes. Tears welled up and a grin broke across her face. "John!"

Hearing the sound of his feet pounding against the carpeted to wooden floors, John whipped around the bathroom doorway. His hands were still covered in soak from washing dishes. "What? Are you all right?"

She held up the test with a huge grin on her face. "We did it."

He couldn't believe what he was really seeing. Looking back and forth from the test to Maria's glowing face, John wrapped his arms around her. He couldn't express how glad and excited he was, but from the way he was holding her close to him, she knew he was ecstatic. "When are we going to tell Scott?"

"Well," Frank slightly pulled away, keeping her arms around his neck. "I'm thinking telling him when I'm a few months along so we know for sure everything's okay."

John's lips pulled back in a huge grin and he pulled her back into a tight hug. Words didn't need to be said with how excited he felt since he was holding Maria so tight, she could feel his ribs digging into her chest.

"Hey, easy now," She gasped, tapping his back and he released his hold. "Talk to me, hun."

"I'm just...I have no words to say how excited I am." He was beaming now, his grin going from ear to ear. "If I start jumping up and down, I'm bound to break something. If I start yelling the neighbors will wonder who's dying."

"Okay. Okay." Maria laughed. "I get it. Just control yourself when Scott comes back home from visiting Greg."

He nodded his head quickly, his hands starting to shake. "I'll try my best."

Seeing he was having a hard time considering containing himself, Maria smirked and draped her arms over his shoulder. Lowering her voice to a whisper, she said, "If you can control it until we tell him, I'll treat you to whatever you want. It doesn't matter of it's food or sex. Okay?"

Humming in approval, Munch inhaled a deep sigh and his shoulders relaxed. "What kind of sex?"

"What ever you want," She whispered with a grin, leaning forward to kiss him gently. "But you have to control yourself and not tell him until we're sure everything's okay. Got it?"

Knowing the bribe of sex or food was on the table, he blew out a slow breath. "Okay. I'll give it my best shot."

**To be continued...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer - Maria Frank, Scott Munch, Iva Munch, Alex and Ace are my own creations. John Munch belongs to Law and Order: SVU.**

Maria bent over the toilet and groaned. It was barely three in the morning and she was four weeks along, having to deal with the joys of nausea. "That's it. No more pasta for me," she muttered hoarsely. The doctor appointment earlier that week showed everything was going well so far and John was given the chance to see the peanut-shaped blob that was their child. Right now, she was wishing for this pregnancy to be over.

Peering around the bathroom door with a wet washcloth, John quietly walked in and placed a hand on her shoulder. Considering her state of nausea and exhaustion, she didn't jump at his presence. "How bad is it?"

"Just...bad. I don't think I'll ever eat again." She leaned back over the toilet and gagged. "Damn it."

Keeping the lights off to keep her vomit-induced headache at bay, Munch lit a candle and sat on the edge of the tub, holding the washcloth to her forehead. "I thought morning sickness was going to happen in the morning."

"Nah. That's just a lie. It's all a fucking lie." Frank's knees started to shake and she collapsed to the floor, leaning against John's legs. "You ready to be up most of the night? It's going to be a long night."

"Don't worry about me," John whispered, his fingers combing through her hair. He had work in the morning, but the coffee pot was always open to business. "Just take some deep breaths, okay?"

She sighed and closed her eyes as he stroked her head, placing her right hand on her stomach. "Maybe once my stomach cools down, you can make me some tea?"

"I'll gladly do that for you." He whispered, holding her hair back as she moved back to the toilet, continuing to gag until Frank started dry heaving. Once she had fallen back onto her backside and held herself up with her hands, he used the washcloth to clean her mouth and wipe her chin. "How are you feeling?"

Maria inhaled a few deep breaths and nodded her head. "Yes. I could use some tea now."

Softly smiling, Munch helped her to her feet and laid her down in bed, taking care of cleaning the bathroom up as he headed towards the kitchen. Within minutes, he had a steaming mug of peppermint tea and sat beside Maria, holding it to her lips. "Small sips."

Allowing the hot liquid to travel down her sore throat, Maria closed her eyes and felt the peppermint-like cooling surround her stomach. "This is going to be a long nine months, John. Sure you're ready to take me on when I start to get crabby or feeling bloated?"

He gave a small smile and allowed her to take the mug from his hands. "I'll find ways to calm the beast."

She chuckled and took another sip. "I may also end up taking up more space in the bed the bigger I get, too."

"All the more for me to love," He said back, his smile not faltering. "I'm already getting ready to love you even more once you start getting bigger." He leaned over, pressing his lips against hers, his hand laying gently on her stomach.

She paused and pulled back a little. "Easy, John. Don't put too much pressure there."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause any pain," he apologized, pulling back his hand and straightening back up.

Maria smiled warmly at John and was just about to pull him down for another kiss when the sound of small feet running toward their room caused them to pause.

Scott opened the bedroom door quickly and gasped out, "Mom! Dad! There's bugs trying to come out of my stomach!"

Sighing, Frank looked at John, who gave her a sheepish smile. "No more Alien movies before bed, too."

"I'll try."

* * *

Maria rolled over uncomfortably several months later, her growing stomach causing her great discomfort. She was due for maternity leave within a few weeks and couldn't wait for it to start. "I don't want to hear firearms going off, I don't want to listen to my students complaining and I don't want to crawl out of bed."

John muttered something in his sleep, his arm trapped under her stomach. Groaning, he lifted his head and pulled to free his poor limb. "Crap."

"What?"

"Your ever-growing stomach has trapped my arm." He gave one last pull and freed himself, turning his back to her and stuffing his head under his pillow. "And you've been kicking me in my sleep again."

Lifting her head gruffly, Frank kicked him once more and attempted to roll out of bed for work. "There. A 'see you later' kick for you to remember."

Grunting tiredly, Munch pulled his legs close to his body and rubbed where she kicked. "You've been kicking that spot all night long, too."

"Love you, too," she muttered, heading to the shower. "Once I'm out, want me to leave the water on for you?"

"Sure," came muffled from under the covers, followed by a heavy sigh.

Rolling her eyes, Maria headed to the bathroom and turned on the water. "I can't stand this much longer. With him being a complete - "

"A complete what?"

She looked over her shoulder and saw John standing there, a submissive look on his face. "I was going to say a complete ass."

"I'm sorry I've been an asshole lately. I'm trying my best to stay positive through this whole thing, but..." He scratched the back of his head as he walked forward, pulling her into a hug as the steam from the shower started to envelope them. "With you being miserable, it's making me feel miserable."

Maria pulled John closer to her, wanting to keep him as close as possible. "I'm trying, but it's hard to keep a level head while the kid's kick boxing my insides."

"I'll teach her how to kick box, then." He laughed, hoping to pull a smile from her. "If she starts playing wall ball, I'll teach her wall ball, too."

"You can teach her anything you want, just so long as it keeps her in one piece and once she gets out of me." She poked the side of her stomach and sighed. "Get out, you."

Chuckling, John reached around her and adjusted the temperature of the water before lifting her nightshirt over her head. "Now, now. She still needs to bake a little longer." Munch pulled his shirt over his head and smiled as Maria ran her fingers down his chest. "Although what I do enjoy about this pregnancy is the hormones."

Humming softly, Frank took his hand and pulled him toward the tub. "I'll agree with you about that." She watched as he finished undressing before they joined each other under the pounding water. John kissed her deeply, racking his nails carefully along her expanding stomach. "I'm sorry for kicking you in your sleep."

"I'm sorry for being an ass about the whole thing." Munch pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly to him. "I should be more supportive instead of bitching."

Softly smiling, Maria kissed his neck and ran her hands down his side. "It's hard being supportive with a seven year old and two dogs. Add on a crabby pregnant woman and I'm surprised you haven't locked yourself in a room for peace and quiet."

"But you're my sexy and crabby pregnant woman," he explained, touching his nose to hers. "One of these days, we need to have some time to ourselves."

Laughing, Frank shook her head and reached for his shampoo. "I knew you would think about that."

"About what?"

"Sex, silly."

John gazed off with a smile. "Oh, yeah. I almost forgot what sex was."

Maria playfully slapped him. "Bullshit, Johnny. The day you forget was sex is, is the day I would have to leave. There's no way I can be around you and not have sex."

"I'll remember that for future references." He remarked with a smirk.

Maria could only roll her eyes. "Fine. I need to get out of here before I start to shrivel anyway." She moved John aside and attempted to finish her shower as best she could, stifling giggles and laughs as Munch 'assisted', if she could count it as assisting with his grabbing her in various ways.

Stepping out carefully and wrapping a towel around her expanding self, Maria gave him a quick kiss and closed the curtain so he could finish as well. She opened the door just in time to watch Scott jog by with the young Ace in tow. "Be careful going around corners, Scott."

"I will!" He gave a wave slowed down considerably as he rounded a corner, Ace's floppy ears flapping as he slowed as well. Alex, the elder German Shepherd, was laying on a thick dog bed in the living room, his back to everyone in the room.

Shaking her head, Frank headed toward the bedroom and closed it behind her. She dropped the towel and reached for some clean clothes in the closet. As the weeks passed by, it was getting harder and harder for Maria to fit in her clothes without having to head to the store and find something a little bigger. She pulled out a work shirt and held it against herself, looking in the mirror. "This is getting ridiculous."

"What is?" John walked in and closed the door behind him, reaching for a pair of boxer briefs in his dresser.

"Me. I keep getting new stuff and I gain a few more pounds within a few days." She gave the closet mirror a sulking look and went back to searching through her work clothes. "I'm gaining more weight with this pregnancy than I did with Scott."

Munch walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her shoulder gently. "You look perfect to me, Mar."

Her arms dropped and Maria gave him a look. "Bull. Every guy says that to his woman."

He gave her a look in the mirror and his rested his chin on her shoulder. "Yes, you're right." John scanned her over in the mirror and had to enjoy seeing how well they fitted together. "But you are still perfect to me, especially since you are wearing no clothes."

Maria scoffed and patted his cheek warmly. "I need to get ready for work. You can't flirt with me like this, John."

"I can always try," he whispered, his hold on her tightening. "Just one go?"

"No."

He pouted and pressed his hips against hers. "Please?"

Frank closed her eyes and tried to pull his arms away. "I said no." His effort to seduce her was working, but she couldn't risk behind late today. "I've got students taking a test today. I can't be late."

John's arms fell and he gave a her a look in the mirror. "Maybe later?"

"Yes, if you let me get dressed and get to work before I'm late." She finally cracked, pulling on her clothes in a rather fast pace. "Make sure Scott get's to summer school on time and do not slip only sweets into his lunch bag."

He pulled on his work slacks and slipped his belt through the loops. "I promise."

"And don't be saying that just to humor me," she warned. "The last time I asked you to not do that, you gave him three extra peanut butter cups and I had to deal with a rather excitable boy while you were working over time."

Munch raised his hands in defeat. "Okay, Mar. I promise it won't happen again."

"Good." She gave him a quick kiss before heading to the kitchen to grab a quick breakfast and give Scott a hug. "Be good at school. Aunt Bea will pick you up and help you take the dogs out."

Scott fixed his ruffled hair and narrowed his dark eyes. "I know, mom." 'Aunt' Bea was a neighbor down the hall. A retired school teacher who had dotted on Scott the moment they met and Scott enjoyed the woman's company while his parents worked. "Is she going to pick me up when you're on baby leave?"

"We'll see." Maria gave him a kiss on the cheek and double checked her shoulder bag for her wallet and work files. "All right. I'm off."

M*M*M*M*M*M*M

One headache and one finished firearm test later, Maria Frank rubbed her temples with her index fingers and sighed. "For fuck's sake. The next fool who tries to impress the teacher by holding the weapon sideways is going to get a kick in the balls."

"Boy, I hope you don't mean the ones you passed," spoke up Frank 'French' Hunter, a fellow co-worker.

"You know I know better than that, French." She took a small sip of her bottled water and groaned. "What do you want?"

He jabbed his thumb behind him, a small smile on his face. "You have a visitor who looks rather disgusted about something."

Maria's brows furrowed and got up slowly from her chair to see. Considering the time, she couldn't fathom who it was until she turned around the corner. "John? Is everything all right?"

The graying man shook his head and walked straight into her office and quietly shut the door behind him. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around Maria's shoulders and held her. Silent tears fell from his closed eyes and landed lightly on her shoulder. "Please, don't leave me."

Maria's eyes went wide with confusion and misunderstanding. "What? John!" She pushed him far enough to look into his face and removed his transitional glasses. "What happened today?"

John shook his head and pressed his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose, trying hard not to collapse in front of his wife. "I-I don't want you to ever leave me. If we have an argument, we'll figure it out, right?"

"Of course," Maria agreed wholeheartedly. "Is this because of this morning?"

He shook his head and wrapped his arms around her once more. "No, this has nothing to do with this morning." Munch lifted his head from her shoulders and deeply kissed her with unexplained passion. Maria didn't stop him as he pushed harder against her, allowing her to feel what he was trying to explain.

Several long moments later, they broke the kiss and Maria touched his chin with the tip of her nose tenderly. "It was a case today, wasn't it?" He nodded his head and swallowed heavily. "You don't need to tell me the details if you don't want to."

"I can't bring myself to do that. Not right now." He firmly shook his head several times. "Don told me to take the rest of the day off and first thing I thought of was seeing you instead of going home."

Maria forced a small smile and reached a hand up to cup his chin affectionately. "If you want, you can use the firing range while I finish my shit here. I have five more hours left."

"Anyone else using the range?"

Frank shook her head and reached for a spar Glock she used for examples. "No one else is permitted on the range without my say-so. Leave your stuff here with me, use this Glock and if you need ammo, let me know."

John took the Glock from her hand and checked the ammo inside. "Target sheets?"

"Right outside my office. Pick whoever you want and have at it, okay?" Maria watched him force a smile before leaving the small office.

For the next hour, all Maria heard as she finished her paperwork was the taptaptap of John firing off at his chosen target sheet, wondering what was causing him so much stress.

**To be continued...**


End file.
